Letters to the editor, 1/19

Use caution with people acting 'differently'

This letter is in response to one from Andrew O'Grady, executive director of Mental Health America, "Mentally ill people are more likely to be victims" (Jan. 6).

Mr. O'Grady encourages citizens to "open a dialogue" with strangers who are acting "differently."

I am writing this letter to discourage anyone from following Mr. O'Grady's advice. If you notice someone behaving differently, do not attempt to approach them or to open up a dialogue.

Call the authorities, report what you are witnessing, give the location of the individual, and ask the authorities to conduct a welfare check on the individual. That person could be under the influence of substances or responding to internal stimuli and their response could be unpredictable and injurious.

Mr. O'Grady cites behavioral health research that indicates that people who are mentally ill are not violent, and people who are violent are not mentally ill. While the vast majority of people suffering from mental illness are not violent, the inverse is incorrect. Violence is an illness. Behavioral health research continues to evolve and along with it, so does the American Psychiatric Association's "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders."

I encourage people to be cautious when observing individuals who are acting strange and to allow the authorities to handle it.

Janet Giudice

Hyde Park

Saland ignored views of district residents

Now that the election of 2012 for New York Senate District 41 is officially over, I feel good that Steve Saland lost even though I voted for him for probably nine times during his long career as a state legislator. At the end, he forgot the most basic thing a legislator needs to always remember, you represent the people in your district, not the people who buy your vote.

For example, when Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand represented New York's 20th congressional district, which, at the time overlapped parts of the 41st Senate District back in 2006, she became a "blue dog" (moderate) Democrat, knowing the political makeup of her district. As a result, she got re-elected in 2008. Her political savvy resulted in her becoming our U.S. senator. Sen. Saland's loss has the good effect that it forces all legislators to remember who they represent, and why they are in Albany, or Washington, D.C., for that matter. Some may argue, isn't it worse that we are now represented by the liberal Democrat Terry Gipson? The answer is no! The Democrats now have a three-seat majority and if Saland had won, they would still have a majority. Some might also argue that gay marriage is only opposed by a few "extremists," and he did nothing wrong supporting it. Since no poll was taken, this is a bad assumption. I think to this day, a majority of people in the 41st District still oppose gay marriage.

Alan Bradford

Salt Point

Poughkeepsie schools make good impression

Members of the Dutchess County Association of Realtors were invited to a program and tour of the Poughkeepsie School District. Being a long-time resident of the city I was glad that I took the opportunity to attend.

We started with an excellent PowerPoint presentation by the superintendent of schools, Laval Wilson, followed by a question and answer session.

We then toured the Early Learning Center at Smith school, filled with pre-K and kindergarten, then toured the Poughkeepsie High School followed by a tour of the Clinton Elementary School.

First of all we were all impressed by the cleanliness and condition of all the schools we visited. We met many of the staff and teachers at each school and were more than impressed by the professionalism, dedication and enthusiasm of all we met.

Programs offered at all grade levels are second to none. We saw cutting-edge programs with students starting at a very young age taking advantage of courses using the latest technology. Students were well-behaved - even in the lunchroom they were quiet and involved.

"Academy Classes" at the high school give students the opportunity to work toward a definite career patch from their first year until graduation. The high school graduation rate has gone up 11 percent in just the past five years as a result of the new programs being adopted.

As a resident of the City of Poughkeepsie, I couldn't be more proud of our school system.

Bill Beehler

Real Estate Association Broker

Poughkeepsie

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Letters to the editor, 1/19

This letter is in response to one from Andrew O'Grady, executive director of Mental Health America, 'Mentally ill people are more likely to be victims' (Jan. 6).